Construction system

ABSTRACT

A construction system for building a home independently is provided that assists a sole home builder so that a modern home can be built without the use of heavy machinery or reliance on professionals.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Utility application Ser. No.13/160,422, filed Jun. 14, 2011, which claims priority to and thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/354,669, filed onJun. 14, 2010. The entire disclosures of U.S. Utility application Ser.No. 13/160,422 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/354,669are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to a construction system. Morespecifically, the present invention relates to a construction system forbuilding a home independently.

Background Information

Whether for recreation or necessity, accomplishing projects with littleor no help from professionals, known as do-it-yourself projects,continues to be popular. These do-it-yourself projects can extend to thenecessities of life such as shelter, for example. Do-it-yourselfshelters are not usually modern homes and are often primitive. Even ifthe knowledgeable builder could construct her own home, it is very timeconsuming to do so with limited help and no heavy machinery. Thus,building a modern home by oneself with little or no help fromprofessionals is considered daunting or viewed as impossible. Even ifthe modern home is delivered in modules to limit on-site constructionsteps, lifting of heavy modules and steadying the heavy modules whileinstalled are considered impossible tasks for less than a few men withno heavy machinery. Nevertheless, because of a continuing popular desirefor independence and self-sufficiency, there is a need for aconstruction system that assists the independent building of a modernhome.

In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the artfrom this disclosure that there exists a need for an improvedconstruction system that assists independent home building. Thisinvention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, whichwill become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A construction system for building a home independently is provided thatassists a sole home builder so that a modern home can be built withoutthe use of heavy machinery or reliance on professionals.

These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from thefollowing detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with theannexed drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the attached drawings which form a part of thisoriginal disclosure:

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a truss clip system;

FIG. 1B is a top view of a first shell of the truss clip system;

FIG. 1C is a side view of the first shell of the truss clip system;

FIG. 1D is a top view of a second shell of the truss clip system;

FIG. 1E is a side view of the second shell of the truss clip system;

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a lift assist assembly;

FIGS. 2B, 2C and 2D are perspective views of extension bars of varyingsize;

FIG. 2E is a cross-sectional view of the lift assist assembly takenalong line E-E of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the lift assist assembly, having a liftcomponent, and a lift assist device;

FIG. 3B is a magnified perspective view of a top portion of the liftassist assembly and the lift component;

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the lift component of the lift assistassembly;

FIG. 4B is a back view of the lift component;

FIG. 4C is a magnified view of a lock mechanism of the lift component;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the lift assist assembly and the liftassist device;

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of the lift assist assembly with anotherembodiment of the lift component and the lift assist device;

FIG. 6B is a side view of the lift assist assembly with lift componentand the lift assist device of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the lift assist device;

FIG. 8A is a perspective view of a ratchet assembly of the lift assistdevice;

FIG. 8B is a side view of the ratchet assembly of FIG. 8A;

FIG. 8C is a partial cross-section view of the ratchet assembly takenalong line A-A of FIG. 8B;

FIG. 9A is a rear perspective view of a gable bracket mechanism;

FIG. 9B is a side view of the gable bracket mechanism of FIG. 9A;

FIG. 9C is a rear view of the gable bracket mechanism of FIG. 9A;

FIG. 9D is a rear perspective view of the lift assist device with thegable bracket mechanism;

FIG. 10A is a perspective view of a plurality of safety railingassemblies used on an unfinished roof;

FIG. 10B is a perspective view of the safety railing assembly

FIG. 10C is a rear perspective, magnified view of a mount of the safetyrailing assembly;

FIG. 10D is a front perspective, magnified view of the mount of thesafety railing assembly;

FIG. 11A is a perspective view of a base assembly of the safety railingassembly;

FIG. 11B is a perspective view of the base assembly in use on anunfinished roof;

FIG. 11C is a partial cross section view of the base assembly;

FIG. 11D is a perspective view of a cam apparatus of the base assembly;

FIG. 12A is a perspective view of a wall stop in use with a wall at anupper level of a home;

FIG. 12B is a side view of the wall stop;

FIG. 12C is a front view of the wall stop;

FIG. 12D is a perspective view of the wall stop;

FIG. 13A is a rear perspective view of a wall lift in use with a wall tobe lifted;

FIG. 13B is a perspective view of the wall lift;

FIG. 14A is a perspective view of multiple corner draw breaker bars inuse with walls forming a corner;

FIG. 14B is a side view of the corner draw breaker bar;

FIG. 14C is a partial cross section view of the corner draw breaker barof FIG. 14B;

FIG. 15A is a rear perspective view of a cart in use with a wall;

FIG. 15B is a perspective view of the cart;

FIG. 15C is a bottom perspective view of the cart;

FIG. 15D is a side view of the cart;

FIG. 15E is a partial cross section of the cart taken along line B-B inFIG. 15D;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the cart in FIGS. 15A-15E with anadapter;

FIG. 17A is a rear perspective view of a wall splice base clamp in usewith two walls for mating together;

FIG. 17B is a magnified view of a portion of FIG. 17A;

FIG. 17C is a perspective view of the wall splice base clamp;

FIG. 17D is a top view of the wall splice base clamp;

FIG. 17E is a bottom view of the wall splice base clamp;

FIG. 17F is a partial cross section view of the wall splice base clamptaken along line F-F of FIG. 17E; and

FIG. 17G is an exploded view of the wall splice base clamp.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Selected embodiments of the present invention will now be explained withreference to the drawings. It will be apparent to those skilled in theart from this disclosure that the following descriptions of theembodiments of the present invention are provided for illustration onlyand not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by theappended claims and their equivalents.

Components of a construction system will now be described with referenceto the Figures. Referring initially to FIGS. 1A-1E, a truss clip system100 is illustrated in accordance with a first embodiment of the presentinvention. The truss clip system 100 aligns a vertical beam that needsto be connected to a horizontal beam at a specific location on thehorizontal beam. The truss clip system 100 also ensures perpendicularityof the vertical beam with the horizontal beam. The truss clip system 100includes a first shell 102 and a second shell 104 which are disposed onsides of the horizontal and vertical beams. The first shell 102 has afirst end 106 and a second end 108 opposite the first end 106. The firstshell 102 is bent at an angle to form a lateral beam guide 110 and anupper beam guide 112. The lateral beam guide 110 is preferably disposedat a right angle to the upper beam guide 112 so as to be positioned on aside of a horizontal beam while the upper beam guide 112 is disposed onthe connecting, perpendicular surface.

The upper beam guide 112 has a plurality of alignment apertures 114 oneach end and a flap 116 with a flexible hinge 118 disposed on the firstend 106. The flap 116 pivots about the flexible hinge 118 to selectivelylie flat on the upper beam guide 112. The flap 116 has a plurality ofalignment pegs 120 to facilitate alignment of and secure alignment ofthe alignment apertures 114. The alignment pegs 120 are preferablypointed and curved back towards the hinge 118. The alignment pegs 120are disposed on an end of the flap 116 opposite the hinge 118. The upperbeam guide 112 has a channel 122 that is sized and configured to receivevertical beams or supports and to guide the vertical beams. Sides of thechannel 122 slope towards the lateral beam guide 110 and away from theflap 116 to form first and second wedge shape sections 124, 126 of theupper beam guide 112.

The second shell 104 is substantially the same as the first shell 102except that the flap 116 is on an opposite side (second end 108) whencompared with the first shell 102. The channel 122 slopes toward lateralbeam guide 110 and away from the second end 108 (away from flap 116).

The shells 102, 104, when disposed on respective sides of the horizontalbeam, are slidably coupled via the upper beam guides 112. Specifically,the first upper beam guide 112 slidably couples with the second upperbeam guide 112 b such that one substantially covers the other. Morespecifically, first wedge shape section 124 a slidably couples withsecond wedge shape section 126 b and second wedge shape section 126 acouples with first wedge shape section 124 b such that the alignmentapertures 114 on each wedge shape section 124, 126 are in alignment toreceive pegs 120. The shells 102, 104 guide the vertical beam to aperpendicular position with the lateral beam as they slidably couple.The channels 122 of each shell 102, 104 provide guidance to align thevertical beam with the horizontal beam and/or to guide to a particularlocation on the horizontal beam, or ensure perpendicularity of thevertical beam with the lateral beam.

Once in position, the shells 102, 104 are locked together in the desiredlocation and orientation. The shells 102, 104 are locked by driving thepointed ends of the pegs 120 through the alignment apertures 114 of bothshells 102, 104 on a respective end and into the horizontal beam. Thepegs 120 are driven through the alignment apertures 114 and into thehorizontal beam by applying downward pressure on the flap 116. Theshells 102, 104 are preferably comprised of steel or other hard alloy,for example.

Lift Assist Assembly

Referring now to FIGS. 2A-3B, a lift assist assembly 200 in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention will now be explained. Thelift assist assembly 200 aids a sole home builder in liftingconstruction loads that would be otherwise too heavy to lift alone. Thelift assist assembly 200 also helps to lift a construction load higherthan would otherwise be possible when lifting alone. For example, thelift assist assembly 200 can lift a pre-constructed wall or truss highabove the sole home builder's head. The lift assist assembly 200steadies the heavy construction load as it is lifted to a desired heighte.g. to a roof or floor above in a multistory structure.

The lift assist assembly 200 includes a base bar 202, a liftingcomponent 204, a guide track 206, a pulley bar 208 and one or morepulleys 210. The base bar 202 provides leverage to lift a heavyconstruction load by a sole home owner. The base bar 202 is preferablycomprised of steel or other strong alloys and is sized and configured tobe strong enough to resist bending during use of the pulley bar 208 andpulleys 210 at a top end of the base bar 202 to lift the heavyconstruction load. The base bar 202 has a connecting end portion 212 anda receiving end portion 214 opposite the connecting end portion 212. Theconnecting end portion 212 is directly connected to the base bar 202 andextends from the base bar 202 as a bar with a smaller size or diameterthan the base bar 202.

The base bar 202 further includes a connecting face 216 at a locationwhere the connecting end portion 212 extends out of the base bar 202.The connecting face 216 is formed by a difference in size between thesmaller connecting end portion 212 extending out of the base bar 202.The connecting face 216 is not perpendicular to a longitudinal axis ofthe base bar 202. Instead, the connecting face 216 slopes down and awayfrom the guide track 206. The receiving end portion 214 has an aperture215 with a complementary size to receive a connecting end portion 209 ofthe pulley bar 208. The receiving end portion 214 has a receiving face217 that slopes upwardly toward the guide track 206. The connecting face216 and the receiving face 217 have complimentary orientations and, wheninstalled correctly, the base bar 202 correctly fits with the pulley bar208 when the connecting face 216 abuts the receiving face 217. Thisensures that the bars 202 and 208 are connected properly and that theguide track 206 is properly aligned.

The lift assist assembly 200 further includes a cable guide 218straddling the base bar 202. The cable guide 218 guides a cable used inconjunction with the pulleys 210. The cable guide 218 has arms 220 and aleader portion 222 linking the arms 220 together. The arms 220 aredisposed on opposite sides of the base bar 202. The leader portion 222has an aperture therethrough that the cable runs through during use. Theaperture optionally has a bushing or roller bearings disposed therein tolimit friction.

The guide track 206 is disposed on the base bar 202 to guide the liftcomponent 204 along the base bar 202. The guide track 206 includes aspacer 226 and a guide panel 228 disposed on the spacer 226, which isconnected to the base bar 202 and links the guide track 206 to the basebar 202, as is shown in greater detail in FIG. 2E. Both the guide panel228 and the spacer 226 extend approximately the longitudinal length ofthe base bar 202. The spacer 226 is sized so as to space the guide panel228 a distance from the base bar 202 to make room for and facilitatemovement of the lift component 204 traveling up the base bar 202 alongthe guide track 206. The spacer 226 can be a thin bar or as simple as awelding bead between the guide panel 228 and the base bar 202. Thespacer 226 connects at a center portion of the guide panel 228. Thespacer 226 and the guide panel 228 constitute the guide track 206 forguiding a moving weight along the base bar 202.

The pulley bar 208 has a connecting end portion 254 configured toconnect to the receiving end portion 214 of the base bar 202 or thereceiving end portion of an extension bar, as will be described below.At the opposite end of the connecting end portion 254 are the pulleys210 and pulley support structure 256 for connecting the pulleys 210 andsupporting the pulleys 210 in use.

The lift assist assembly 200 further includes a plurality of extensionbars 258. One or more of the extension bars 258 are optionally disposedbetween the base bar 202 and the pulley bar 208 to increase the lengthand leverage of the lift assist assembly 200. A sole home builder cantherefore adjust the height of the lift assist assembly 200 using theextension bars 258 when the construction load requires more leverage forlifting or needs to be lifted to a height higher than the heightobtainable with only the base bar 202 and the pulley bar 208.

The extension bar 258 includes a connecting end portion 260 and areceiving end portion 262 opposite the connecting end portion 260. Theconnecting end portion 260 is directly connected to the extension bar258 and extends from the extension bar 258 as a bar with a smaller sizethan the extension bar 258. The receiving end portion 262 has anaperture 264 with a complementary size to receive the connecting endportion 254 from the pulley bar 208 or the connecting end portion 260 ofanother extension bar 258.

Specifically, the aperture 264 is sized and configured with innerdimensions to receive the entire connecting end portion 212, 258therein. The extension bar 258 has a connecting face 266 at a locationwhere the connecting end portion extends out of the extension bar, theconnecting face 266 is formed by the difference in size between thesmaller connecting end portion 260 and the larger extension bar 258. Theconnecting face 266 is not perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of theextension bar 258. Instead, the connecting face 266 slopes down and awayfrom the guide track 206. The receiving end portion 262 has a receivingface 268 not perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the extension bar258. The receiving face 268 slopes upwardly and toward the guide track206. The connecting face 266 and the receiving face 268 havecomplimentary orientations and, when installed correctly, the extensionbar 258 fits on the base bar 202 correctly when the connecting face 266abuts the receiving face 268. Thus, the lift assist assembly 200 has abuilt in mechanism for ensuring that the bars 202, 208, 258 areconnected properly and that the guide track 206 is properly aligned fromone bar to another. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in theart from this disclosure that the base bar 202, pulley bar 208 orextension bar 258, while shown as round bars in the Figures, can be ofvarious shapes, e.g. square, oblong, etc.

Referring to FIGS. 4A-5, the lift component 204 has a guide body 230 anda utility tray 232 for carrying or stabilizing weight such as theconstruction load. The utility tray 232 extends outwardly from the guidebody 230 and has a lip 234 extending upwardly along a front edge of theutility tray 232 to further stabilize the weight when lifted. The guidebody 230 provides side support of the construction load on a front sideand has a sleeve 236 with a channel 238 on a back side. The channel 238is sized and configured to receive the guide track 206 therein. Thus,the sleeve 236 is slidable along the guide track 206 to guide the liftcomponent 204 up the base bar 202. The sleeve 236 and guide track 206further provide safety to the sole home builder to prevent theconstruction load from falling, twisting, or moving laterally as theweight is raised, thereby positioning the load in a desired location.The guide body 230 has a lifting lug 240 attached at the top of theguide body 230 for connection with an end of the cable. The liftcomponent 204 further includes a lock mechanism 242 to lock the liftcomponent 204 at a desired point on the guide track 206. The lockmechanism 242 includes a lever 244, a swivel key 245, and a bias member246. The lever 244 has a first end portion that mates with the swivelkey 245 and a second end portion, about which the lever 244 rotates viaa pin attached to the lift component 204. The second end portion isgenerically rounded and has a cam portion or locking cam 247 adjacentthe channel 238. The cam portion 247 is positioned on the second endportion so as to dig into the guide track 206 to prevent the liftcomponent 204 from sliding downward along the guide track 206, but allowupward movement of the lift component 204. The bias member 246 includesa spring to bias the lever 244 downward, thereby pushing the cam portion247 into the guide track 206. For lowering the lift component 204, thelever 244 is rotated upward to compress the bias member 246 and theswivel key 245 is rotated to engage the lever 244 such that thecompression of the bias member 246 is maintained. When the swivel key245 engages the lever 244, the cam portion 247 is rotated away from theguide track 206, thereby allowing downward movement of the liftcomponent 204.

Lift Assist Device

Referring to FIGS. 3A and 5-7, a lift assist device 300 providesassistance to the sole home builder in lifting heavy construction loadsby himself. The lift assist device 300 advantageously provides the solehome builder with a foldable device for easier storage and a device foraiding with construction of such heavy construction loads as apre-constructed wall or truss. The lift assist device 300 is also easilymaneuverable such that the sole home builder can maneuver the liftassist device 300 where needed on a home construction site.

The lift assist device 300 includes a folding unit 302, a main lateralframe 304, and a counter weight section 306 and a ratchet assembly 308.The folding unit 302 folds for easy storage and unfolds to mate with thelift assist assembly 200. The folding unit 302 includes a lower supportcomponent 310, an upper support component 312 and a brace member 314.The lower support component 310 and the upper support component 312 areconnected together by a hinge 316 and connected via the brace member314. The lower support component 310 connects with the main lateralframe 304. The lower and upper components 310, 312 are eachapproximately triangular shaped and have two lateral bars 318, 320, 322,324 and one base bar 326, 328 with the base bar 326, 328 of eachtriangle being connected by the hinge 316. The lower support component310 has a wheel 330, 332 disposed on each end adjacent the upper supportcomponent 312. The upper component 312 has a sleeve 334 for receivingthe base bar 202 of the lift assist assembly 200.

The main lateral frame 304 serves as the backbone for the lift assistdevice 300 and supports the ratchet assembly 308 thereon. The mainlateral frame 304 includes two substantially parallel bars 338, 340 thatconnect the folding unit 302 to the counterweight section 306. The mainlateral frame 304 connects to the folding unit 302 via the lateral bars318, 320 of the lower support component 310 connecting to respectivelateral bars 338, 340 of the main lateral frame 304. The parallel bars338, 340 are preferably extendable and can have a brace therebetween.The cable passes around the swivel 344, causing the swivel 344 to rotateabout a pin as the winch pulls the cable. The swivel 344 thereforeguides the cable and limits friction.

The counterweight section 306 and ratchet assembly 308 have a pluralityof casters 344 underneath. The counterweight section 306 furtherincludes a hand winch 348 for folding and unfolding the folding unit302.

The brace member 314 includes a hinge 350 in a center portion. The bracemember 314 is sized and configured to support the upper supportcomponent 312 when vertical and further configured and arranged to foldwhen folding unit 302 is folded via the hinge 316. The brace member 314is connected at a top portion of the upper support component 312 at oneend and connected to the main lateral frame 304 at the other end.

Referring to FIGS. 5-8C, the ratchet assembly 308 includes a baseassembly 352 and a winch assembly 354 on the base assembly 352. The baseassembly 352 is disposed on the main lateral frame 304 between thefolding unit 302 and the counterweight section 306. The base assembly352 includes a first portion 356 and a second portion 358. The firstportion 356 is connected to the second portion 358 by a hinge 360. Thefirst portion 356 rotates about the hinge 360. The second portion 358 ofthe base assembly 352 includes an angled surface 362 that slopesdownwardly toward the folding unit 302. The base assembly 352 furtherincludes a support arm 364. The support arm 364 supports the firstportion 356 above the angled surface 362. The support arm 364 can berotated away to allow the first portion 356 with the winch assembly 354to rotate about the hinge 360.

Referring now to the winch assembly 354, the winch assembly 354 includesa removable handle 366, a strap drum 368, a cog wheel 370 attached toone side of the strap drum 368 and a locking assembly 372. The removablehandle 366 inserts into a handle shaft 373 on either side of the winchassembly 354 for operation of the winch assembly 354 from either side ofthe lift assist device 300. The cog wheel 370 has substantiallysymmetrically shaped teeth positioned in a circle with a diametersmaller than the strap drum 368. The lock assembly 372 engages the cogwheel 370 to prevent rotation of the strap drum 368 in a certaindirection. Specifically, the locking assembly 372 has a symmetricallyshaped dowel 374 that is inserted between the teeth of the cog wheel 370to lock the strap drum in place. The dowel 374 is spring biased and canbe pulled away from the cog wheel 370 via an actuator knob 376.

Gable Bracket Mechanism

Referring to FIGS. 9A-9D, a gable bracket mechanism 400 is provided toassist the sole home builder with installing the gable. Specifically,the gable bracket mechanism 400 is designed to hold and lift the gableas it is raised into position using the lift assist device 300. Thegable bracket mechanism 400 includes a mounting channel 402, a firstmember 404 and a second member 406. The mounting channel 402 is a rigidmember, preferably made of a high strength metal or alloy such as steel.

The first member 404 and the second member 406 are pivotally attached tothe mounting channel 402 at a pivot point 408. The first member 404includes a plurality of pivot holes 410 positioned along an edge of thefirst member 404. The first member 404 provides the user with the optionof rotating and securing the first member 404 and second member 406 inan angled position. A locking pin 412 is inserted through the mountingchannel 402 and through the desired pivot holes 410 to angle the firstmember 404 and the second member 406 at a desired angle.

The second member 406 is attached to the first member 404 on a sideopposite the side with the mounting channel 402. Thus, the first member404 is sandwiched by the mounting channel 402 and the second member 406.The second member 406 is larger than the first member 404 with an archedtop portion and is sized, configured and arranged to hold and carry agable as it is raised into position. The second member 406 has a gabletray 414 extending outwardly at a bottom edge of the second member 406.The gable tray 414 is configured and arranged to hold a gable. The gablebracket mechanism 400 is configured for use with the lift assist device300 and is designed to be an alternative to the lift component 204.Specifically the mounting channel 402 is designed to receive the guidetrack 206 of the lift assembly 200.

Safety Railing Assembly

Referring to FIGS. 10A-10D, a safety railing assembly 500 includes avertical rail post 502 and first and second railing mounts 504, 506disposed on the vertical rail post 502. The assembly 500 furtherincludes a detachable guard rail 508. The mounts 504, 506 are sized andconfigured to hold boards, which constitute railings 510. A plurality ofthe safety railing assemblies 500 are preferably installed with railings510 linking the assemblies 500 as seen in FIG. 10A.

Referring to the mounts 504, 506, as best seen in FIGS. 10B-10D, each ofthe mounts 504, 506 includes a rail retainer assembly 512 that immovablysecures the railing 510 to the mount 504, 506. The rail retainerassembly 512 includes a shaft member 514, cog members 516, a lock lever518 and a block member 520. The cog members 516 and the lock lever 518are fixed to the shaft member 514 with the lock lever 518 being disposedbetween the cog members 516. The block member 520 has variousprotrusions with apertures therethrough which form first and secondopenings 522, 524 to receive shafts along a first axis 526 and a secondaxis 528, respectively. The shaft member 514 is rotatably disposed inthe first opening 522 and rotates about the first axis 526. When arailing 510 is inserted against the vertical rail post 502, the shaftmember 514 is rotated to bring the cog wheels 516 and the lock lever 518towards the railing 510. The cog wheels 516 slide through slots in themounts 504, 506 and the block member 520 to engage the railing 510 witha plurality of cog teeth. When the cog wheels 516 are sufficientlyengaged with the railing 510, the lock lever 518, having an aperture atan end opposite the shaft member 514, receives a locking pin 530disposed along the second axis 528 through the protrusions forming thesecond opening 524.

Referring to FIGS. 11A-11D, the safety railing assembly 500 furtherincludes a base assembly 532 that is used to secure the safety railingassembly 500 to a roof. The base assembly 532 has a flat surface forlying flush with a portion of an unfinished roof. The base assembly 532includes a receiving post 534 for receiving the rail post 502 and areceiving portion 536 that is generally flat and extends outwardly fromsides of the base assembly 532. The detachable guard rail 508 has hooksextending from the bottom that insert into holes in the receivingportion 536 of the base assembly 532.

The base assembly 532 further includes a close-fitting cavity 538, a camapparatus 540 in the cavity 538, a crimper 544 and a handle 546. Thehandle 546 is nonrotatably fixed to the cam apparatus 540 and rotatablewith respect to the base assembly 532. The crimper 544 is used to crimpa thin sheet of metal 548 such as a strip of tin. The thin sheet ofmetal 548 is nailed to the unfinished roof and the cam apparatus 540 isrotated to crimp the sheet of metal 548 via the crimper 544.

Referring to FIGS. 10B and 11A-11C, the close-fitting cavity 538 allowsthe cam apparatus 540 to rotate therein. The cam apparatus 540 has aslot 550 for receiving the sheet of metal 548 and a locking notch 552near the slot 550. A free end of the thin sheet of metal 548, which hasan end nailed to the unfinished roof, is inserted between the crimper544 and the cam apparatus 540 and then inserted into the slot 550.

The handle 546 is fixed to the cam apparatus 540 so as to drive thelocking notch 552 to the location of a locking block 554 protruding intothe cavity 538 when the handle 546 is in a retracted position. Thelocking notch 552 is sized and configured to receive the locking block554. In other words, the cam apparatus 540 is locked via the lockingnotch 552 and the locking block 554 when the handle 546 is in theretracted position. During rotation of the handle 546, the handle 546not only rotates the cam apparatus 540 but also moves the cam apparatus540 in an arc motion. Referring to FIGS. 11A-11C, the base assembly 532includes side plates 556 having an arc guide slot 558. The portions ofthe handle 546 on either side of the base assembly 532 that connect tothe cam apparatus 540 extends through the side plates 556 via the guideslot 558. The guide slot 558 guides the handle 546 as it is rotated inan arc motion thereby causing the cam apparatus 540 to move in an arcmotion.

The base assembly 532 has a pitch adjust unit 560 having pitch adjustopenings 562 and pins 564 to adjust a pitch with respect to the fasciaboard or roof. In operation, the handle 546 rotates the cam apparatus540 downwardly and locks in place for safety. The handle 546 is sizedand configured to rotate about and over the receiving post 534 when thevertical rail post 502 is not installed. The cam apparatus 540 uses theleverage of the thin sheet metal 548 nailed to the roof to secure thesafety railing assembly 500 at the edge of the roof, for the safety ofthe sole home builder, whether on top of the roof or on bottom.

Wall Stop

FIGS. 12A-12D illustrate a wall stop 600 that is provided to stop orcatch a wall as it is installed on an upper floor or level by the solehome builder. The wall stop 600 is preferably nailed to an exterior sideof a rim joist, sub floor or floor box. Specifically, the wall stop 600includes a mount plate 602 and a backing structure 604. The mount plate602 has a mounting body 606 with apertures 608 for driving nailstherethrough and a platform portion 610 extending at an angle from themounting body 606. The backing structure 604 is attached to the platformportion 610 at a location away from the angle between the mounting body606 and the platform portion 610 to form a gap section 612 in which thewall rests on the platform portion 610. When the sole home builderinstalls a wall on an upper floor, the platform portion 610, disposed onthe exterior side of the sub floor, rests under the wall. The backingstructure 604 rests on the exterior of the wall and stops the wall suchthat it is substantially aligned with the exterior face of the subfloor. In addition to the alignment feature, the wall stop 600 catchesthe wall and prevents it from falling off of the upper floor.

Wall Lift

Referring to FIGS. 13A and 13B, a wall lift 700 is provided to help thesole home builder lift a pre-constructed wall or truss off the floorwithout injury. The wall lift 700 includes a lever member 702 and afulcrum member 704 disposed on a base 706. The lever member 702 includesa first pivot portion 708 and a second pivot portion 710. The levermember 702 pivots about a pivot point at the fulcrum member 704 and atthe second pivot portion 710. At an end of the first pivot portion 708is a pivot bracket 712 that is linked to a lift tray 714 via a linkstrap 716. The pivot bracket 712 is further linked to a support bar 718similar to the base bar 202. Specifically, the pivot bracket 712 has achannel that receives a track on the base bar 202. The first pivotportion 708 pivots about the pivot bracket 712. In operation, theproximal end 720 of the lever member 702 is pushed down to cause thelever member 702 to pivot about the fulcrum member 704 and cause thelever member 702 to pivot with respect to the pivot bracket 712. Thepivot bracket 712 rises along the track of the support bar 718, therebylifting the lift tray 714. At the proximal end 720 of the lever member702, locking dowels 722 are disposed which are used to lock the proximalend 720 to the base 706 via a lock mechanism configuration 724 on thebase 706.

Corner Draw Breaker Bar

Referring to FIGS. 14A-14C, a corner draw breaker bar 800 isillustrated. The corner draw breaker bar 800 is designed to aid the solehome builder in bringing walls together that form a corner.Specifically, with the use of the corner draw breaker bar 800, the solehome builder can ensure that two walls forming a corner are flushagainst a corner stud. The corner draw breaker bar 800 includes a firstside portion 802, second side portion 804, a body portion 806, a handleportion 808, a draw strap channel 810, a draw strap slot 812, a distalend 814 and a proximal end 816. A draw strap 818 made of a thin piece ofmetal, for example, is preferably secured to the corner stud via nailsor screws, for example, at one end. The other end of the draw strap 818is threaded through the draw strap channel 810, which runs through thebody portion 806, by entering on the first side portion 802 and exitingon the second side portion 804 of the corner draw breaker bar 800. Theother end of the draw strap 818 is then loaded into the draw strap slot812 located at the proximal end 816 and on the second side portion 804of the corner draw breaker bar 800.

Once the draw strap 818 is secured to the corner stud, entered throughthe draw strap channel 810 and secured in the draw strap slot 812, thewall can be moved toward the corner stud. In operation, the sole homebuilder grasps the handle portion 808 and moves the distal end 814 awayfrom the corner stud. This forces the first side portion 802 of the bodyportion 806 against the wall and causes the proximal end 816 to rotatealong a surface of the wall. As the distal end 814 moves away from thecorner stud, the wall becomes flush with the corner stud. The cornerdraw breaker bar 800 is advantageous because it ensures that not only isthe wall flush against a face of the corner stud, but, with the aid ofthe draw strap 818, it also aligns the face of the wall with a face ofthe corner stud perpendicular to the face flush with the wall. Thecorner draw breaker bar 800 can be used at any location on the endportion of the wall from top to bottom, but preferably is used at thevery top and very bottom of the wall's end portion.

Cart

Referring to FIGS. 15A-15E, a cart 900 with a pivotable wall tray 902 isprovided to assist the sole home builder with moving heavy loads aboutthe home construction site. The cart 900 includes a base body 904 thatsupports the pivotable wall tray 902. The base body 904 further has areturn mechanism 906 disposed at the base body 904. The return mechanism906 includes a foot pedal 908 disposed at a side of the base body 904and a locking bar 910 underneath the base body 904. The foot pedal 908is spring loaded and engages the locking bar 910. Specifically, thelocking bar has a latch mechanism 912 that is utilized to lock thepivotable wall tray 902 in a desired position. The pivotable wall tray902 is pivotably attached to the base body 904 and pivots about a pivotpoint at a center portion of the base body 904. The pivotable wall tray902 pivots toward a wall stop portion 914, disposed on an end of thebase body 904, in order to grasp a wall or other structure between thepivotable wall tray 902 and the wall stop portion 914. The pivotablewall tray 902 pivots toward the wall stop portion 914 when weight is setonto a bottom platform tray of the pivotable wall tray 902. The basebody 904 has four wheels at corners of the base body 904. The base body904 can include two casters 916 and two fixed direction wheels 918, forexample.

Referring to FIG. 16, an adapter 920 is provided to facilitate carryingfragile structures or oversized structures. The adapter 920 includesopposing walls 922 extending upwardly and having a height larger thanthe pivotable wall tray 902 or wall stop portion 914. The opposing walls922 preferably have a soft outer layer made of foam, for example, and astiff inner core, made of a lightweight alloy, such as an aluminumalloy. At a top end portion of the opposing walls 922, each opposingwall 922 preferably has an additional soft outer layer made of foam. Theadditional soft outer layer is utilized as padding to prevent damage tothe structure as it rests at the top end portion of the opposing wall922.

Wall Splice Base Clamp

Referring now to FIG. 17A-17G, a wall splice base clamp 1000 is used tobring two wall sections together so that they are flush with a post orstud. The clamp 1000 has a handle portion 1002 and a clamp portion 1004attached to the handle portion 1002. The clamp portion 1004 isconfigured to encompass the post and opposing ends of two wall sections.The clamp portion 1004 includes a first section 1006 and a secondsection 1008. The first and second sections 1006, 1008 are slidablycoupled so as to move towards and away from each other so as to decreaseor increase the space therebetween. The handle portion 1002 is pivotablyattached to the clamp portion 1004 at a pivot portion 1010 of the handleportion 1002. Specifically, the pivot portion 1010 is pivotably attachedto the first section 1006 via a pin 1012. The handle portion 1002includes an actuator portion 1014 that engages an actuator pin 1016 onthe second section 1008. The actuator portion 1014 includes a slot 1115that receives the actuator pin 1016. As the handle portion 1002 isturned, the handle portion 1002 pivots about the pin 1012 on the firstsection 1006, which causes the actuator portion 1014 to engage theactuator pin 1016, and the second section 1008 is then slid toward thefirst section 1006. The inwardly sliding action of the first and secondsections 1006, 1008 causes the walls to move toward the post and becomeflush against the post.

In understanding the scope of the present invention, the term“comprising” and its derivatives, as used herein, are intended to beopen ended terms that specify the presence of the stated features,elements, components, groups, and/or steps, but do not exclude thepresence of other unstated features, elements, components, groups,and/or steps. The foregoing also applies to words having similarmeanings such as the terms, “including”, “having” and their derivatives.Also, the terms “part,” “section,” “portion,” “member” or “element” whenused in the singular can have the dual meaning of a single part or aplurality of parts. Finally, terms of degree such as “substantially”,“about” and “approximately” as used herein mean a reasonable amount ofdeviation of the modified term such that the end result is notsignificantly changed. For example, these terms can be construed asincluding a deviation of at least 5% of the modified term if thisdeviation would not negate the meaning of the word it modifies.

While only selected embodiments have been chosen to illustrate thepresent invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art fromthis disclosure that various changes and modifications can be madeherein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined inthe appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mobile lift assist assembly adapted to permit asole individual at a construction site to stabilize, move, lift andposition construction loads where needed at the construction site thatare otherwise too heavy for a sole individual to handle, the lift assistassembly comprising: a lifting component including a guide body, theguide body having a front side, a back side, and a sleeve operativelyconnected to the back side thereof, the sleeve further having a channelformed therein; a base bar having a preselected diameter, the base barincluding a connecting end portion and a receiving end portion oppositethe connecting end portion, the receiving end portion having a receivingface formed thereon, the connecting end portion extending from the basebar and having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the base bar, thedifferent diameters of the base bar and the connecting end portioncooperating with one another to form a connecting face extendingtherebetween at the location where the connecting end portion extendsfrom the base bar; a guide track disposed on the base bar and configuredto be slidably received in the sleeve and channel operatively connectedto the back side of the guide body of the lifting component and, theguide track including a spacer and a guide panel disposed on the spacer,the spacer being connected to the base bar and linking the guide panelthereto; a folding unit including an upper support member operativelyconnected to the lifting component and a lower support member hinged tothe upper support member, whereby the mobile lift assist assembly may befolded for storage; a main lateral frame adapted to support the liftassist assembly component and base bar, the main lateral frame beingoperatively connected to the lower support member of the folding unitand including at least one extendable bar having a counterweight securedthereto forming a counterweight section adapted to counterbalance aconstruction load positioned on the lifting component; a winch assemblymounted on the main lateral frame; a pulley bar including a connectingend portion configured to connect to the base bar at the receiving endportion; one or more pulleys disposed on the pulley bar; a cableextending through the one or more pulleys and being operativelyconnected at a first end thereof to the lifting component and at asecond end thereof to the winch assembly; and a plurality of casterspositioned underneath the counterweight section and operativelyconnected thereto, whereby the lift assist assembly may be moved to aselected location on the construction site.
 2. The lift assist assemblyof claim 1, further comprising a plurality of extension bars configuredto be connected between the base bar and the pulley bar.
 3. The liftassembly of claim 1, wherein the lift component includes a lifting lugat a top portion of the guide body.
 4. The lift assist assembly of claim1, wherein the lift component includes a lock mechanism to lock theguide body at a desired point on the guide track.
 5. The lift assistassembly of claim 4, wherein the lock mechanism is spring loaded.
 6. Thelift assist assembly of claim 1 wherein the connecting face slopes downand away from the guide track and the receiving face slopes upwardlytoward the guide track, the connecting face and the receiving face beingstructured and arranged to have complementary orientations whereby thebase bar, the pulley bar and the guide track are connected and alignedproperly.
 7. The lift assist assembly of claim 6, further comprising atleast one extension bar configured to be connected between the base barand the pulley bar, each of the at least one extension bars being of apreselected size and including a connecting end portion and a receivingend portion opposite the connecting end portion, the connecting endportion being connected directly to the extension bar and extendingtherefrom, each connecting end portion being of a smaller size that theextension bar and wherein the receiving end portion includes an apertureformed therein, the aperture being structured and arranged to receivethe connecting end portion of the pulley bar or the connecting endportion of another of the at least one extension bars.
 8. The liftassist assembly of claim 7 wherein each of the extension bars furtherincludes a guide track disposed thereon and configured to be slidablyreceived in the sleeve and channel operatively connected to the backside of the guide body of the lifting component and, the guide trackincluding a spacer and a guide panel disposed on the spacer, the spacerbeing connected to the base bar and linking the guide panel thereto. 9.The lift assist assembly of claim 8 wherein the receiving end portion ofeach of the at least one of the extension bars includes a receiving facesloping upwardly toward the guide track and wherein the connecting endportion of each of the at least one of the extension bars included aconnecting face sloping down and away from the guide track, theconnecting face and the receiving face being structured and arranged tohave complementary orientations whereby the connecting face of each ofthe at least one extension bar is adapted to abut the receiving face ofeither the adjacent base bar or another extension bar and the receivingface of each of the at least one extension bars is adapted to abut theconnection face of either the pulley bar or another extension bar, therespective abutting connecting and receiving faces cooperating with oneanother to ensure that the base bar, each of the at least one extensionbars, the pulley bar and the guide tracks are connected and alignedproperly.
 10. The lift assist assembly of claim 1 wherein the liftingcomponent includes a utility tray extending outwardly from the guidebody, the utility tray being structured and arranged to stabilize orcarry a construction load.
 11. The lift assist assembly of claim 10,wherein the utility tray includes a lip portion that extends upwardlyalong a front edge of the utility tray.
 12. The lift assist assembly ofclaim 1 further including a brace member having a first end portionadapted to be connected to the upper support member of the folding unit,a second end portion adapted to be connected to the main lateral frame,and a hinged center portion structured and arranged to fold in responseto folding the folding unit.
 13. The lift assist assembly of claim 1wherein the main lateral frame further includes a second extendable barpositioned parallel to the at least one extendable bar, the secondextendable bar being operatively connected at a first end to the lowersupport member of the folding unit and a second end secured to thecounterweight.